Cancer drugs present strongest innovation pipeline in next 5 years: Report

New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) Immuno-oncology (IO) drugs or cancer therapeutics represent one of the most promising areas of medical innovation in the next five years, according to a report on Friday.

The report by GlobalData, a data and analytics company, based on a survey of 128 pharma industry professionals, showed that the innovation will fundamentally transform how cancer is treated.

“Advancements in immunotherapy such as checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cell therapies, cancer vaccines, etc., are revolutionising the way cancer is treated,” Urte Jakimaviciute, Senior Director of Market Research and Strategic Intelligence in the healthcare division at GlobalData.

Jakimaviciute noted that these therapies will evolve to lead “to more effective and personalised treatments”.

Further, “high unmet needs in cancer with many types of indications lacking effective treatments are driving and will continue to drive the innovation in immuno-oncology/ cancer therapeutics,” Jakimaviciute said.

Anti-obesity drugs were the second most popular choice (23 per cent). The development of anti-obesity medications, such as the GLP-1 receptor agonists that are currently disrupting the market, is addressing a massive global health issue and creating a lucrative market opportunity for pharma.

The survey also highlighted that anti-obesity medications will have the greatest impact on the pharmaceutical industry this year.

“With still limited effective treatments available, there is a substantial demand for innovative treatments, making this area a key area of focus for the next five years as well,” Jakimaviciute said.

As per the latest estimate from the World Health Organization (WHO)’s cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), there were about 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths in 2022.

The data, covering 185 countries and 36 cancers, showed that 3 types of cancer -- lung, breast, and colorectal cancers -- accounted for the most cases and deaths.

It also showed that about one in five people develop cancer in their lifetime, approximately one in nine men and one in 12 women die from the disease.

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